The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has approved the candidacies of former Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Isa Ali Pantami, and the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) governorship candidate in Kano State, Abdulsalam Gwarzo, for the 2027 general elections, subject to the outcome of pending court cases.
However, the commission turned down a petition by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship candidate in Ogun State, Ladi Adebutu, who challenged his exclusion from the final list of candidates.
An INEC source disclosed these decisions to Daily Trust after the commission’s meeting on Thursday, explaining that the electoral body considered 69 petitions submitted by political parties over the omission of candidates for governorship and State Houses of Assembly elections.
According to the source, approximately 36 of the petitions were successful, while the remaining applications were unsuccessful.
“We received a total of 69 petitions from political parties. Some of them were successful, I think about 36, and the rest didn’t succeed,” the source said.
The source added that INEC was awaiting the final figures from its legal department, which was preparing an official statement detailing the outcome of the review.
On Pantami’s candidacy, the official confirmed that the former minister had been cleared to contest the governorship election in Gombe State.
“Yes, Pantami has been cleared,” the source said when asked about the PDP candidate in Gombe State.
Gwarzo’s clearance, however, remains dependent on the outcome of the legal proceedings challenging his candidacy in Kano State.
“Because of the court case, the court may rule otherwise. So his approval is subject to whatever the court finally decides,” the source said.
The official maintained that the commission had no objection to either candidate participating in the election, provided the pending legal issues were resolved in their favour.
“But we have no issues with their contesting as candidates,” the source said.
Adebutu, on the other hand, failed to secure a favourable decision on his appeal against his exclusion from the Ogun State governorship candidates’ list.
“He did not succeed,” the official said when asked about the Ogun State PDP governorship candidate.
The decisions followed complaints from political parties and aspirants whose names were missing from INEC’s published list of candidates for the 2027 elections.
Pantami and Gwarzo were among the prominent governorship aspirants whose names did not appear on the list released by the commission in October.
INEC had explained that the omissions arose from alleged failures by political parties to comply with provisions of the Electoral Act, 2026, particularly the requirement to submit their membership registers.
The commission said its position was informed by a Supreme Court judgment delivered on September 24, 2026, which upheld the constitutionality of Section 77(5) to (7) of the Electoral Act, making the submission of party membership registers mandatory.
In Kano State, Gwarzo approached the court to challenge the exclusion of himself and his running mate, Rabiu Mustapha, from INEC’s list of governorship candidates.
In an originating summons dated October 20, 2026, he asked the court to declare their exclusion unlawful and direct the commission to recognise them as the NDC’s governorship candidates.
Pantami’s candidacy has also faced legal challenges, with the INEC source indicating that a court proceeding in the matter was expected on Friday.
Meanwhile, Adebutu had disputed his exclusion from the final list of governorship candidates in Ogun State, maintaining that he was still a registered PDP member and had fulfilled the party’s membership registration requirements.
INEC is expected to release an official statement outlining the outcome of its review of the petitions.
(DAILY TRUST)
